Chapter 23: The Full Moon Yet Unfulfilled, Code Hard to Untangle Emotions
The full moon yet unfulfilled, code hard to untangle emotions.One ring links to another, heavy thoughts difficult to clarify.
On the Mid-Autumn night, speaking of hidden feelings, emotions hard to conceal.Code hard to express longing, only true heart is hardest to forget.
On the rooftop of the Qingyun Technology Experience Center, the moonlight flows like water, casting a glow on everyone’s face. The fragrance of osmanthus wafts through the air, and in the distance, the melodious sound of the guzheng and the laughter of children can be heard. Today is the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day that should be for family reunions.
Liuyuyan leans alone against the railing, gazing at the distant city lights. She holds a half-eaten red bean mooncake in her hand, but it tastes bland. Ever since awakening her mysterious abilities under the Z+++++ quantum lock protocol last time, she has felt something is off—whenever she focuses on programming, illusions of the immortal cultivation world flash before her eyes.
“Liuyuyan,” Ajiang’s voice comes from behind, “Why are you here alone?”
Liuyuyan turns around to see Ajiang holding a rabbit-shaped lantern, the light reflecting his concerned gaze. He is wearing a light blue shirt today, much more formal than usual in the lab.
“It’s nothing,” Liuyuyan forces a smile, “Just a bit homesick.”
“Homesick?” Ajiang steps closer, “Didn’t you say your parents are working abroad?”
Liuyuyan falls silent. She cannot tell Ajiang the truth—her real home is in the immortal cultivation world, and her parents in the real world have long passed away in that car accident. Every holiday, this sense of tearing is particularly strong.
“Here,” Ajiang hands her a beautifully packaged mooncake, “I specially bought this, red bean filling, your favorite.”
Liuyuyan takes the mooncake, her fingertips accidentally brushing against Ajiang’s hand, and both of them freeze for a moment.
“Thank you…” she whispers.
At that moment, the technical director walks over with a basket of mooncakes: “Students, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Before we start the evening party, let’s have a little challenge—who can print this candlestick pattern with the most concise code?”
The holographic projection unfolds in the air:
// Task: Print the Mid-Autumn candlestick pattern using nested loops
// Expected output:
// *****
// *******
// *********
// ***********
// *************
Liuyuyan gazes at the full moon, suddenly recalling what her grandmother said when teaching her to make mooncakes: “One layer of skin, one layer of filling, then another layer of skin… just like nested loops.”
She walks to the terminal, her fingers dancing lightly on the keyboard:
// Use double loops to draw the Mid-Autumn candlestick
for (int row = 1; row <= 5; row++) {
for (int space = 1; space <= 5 - row; space++)
cout << " ";
for (int star = 1; star <= 2 * row + 3; star++)
cout << "*";
cout << endl;
}
“Too easy,” Zhang Zihao scoffs, “Isn’t this just a double loop?”
“Exactly,” the technical director nods, “Programming is like the moon, seemingly complex, but actually orderly. One ring links to another, layers nested within layers.”
At that moment, Zhang Zihao suddenly changes his expression: “Watch out! The technical director’s eyes are glowing!”
However, the technical director remains oblivious, smiling as he announces: “Congratulations, Liuyuyan, you have been selected as a formal candidate for the ‘Qingyun Star’ program!”
“What?” Liuyuyan asks in surprise.
“This means,” the technical director’s voice suddenly becomes serious, “Starting tomorrow, you will stop all C++ courses and transfer to the Z+++++ neural programming training camp.”
“Z+++++?” Xiaomeng asks in confusion.
“Yes,” the technical director explains, “C++ is just an introductory language; the real power comes from Z+++++. It can connect directly to the brain’s nerves, making programming instinctive.”
Ajiang looks at Liuyuyan nervously: “But… she is best at C++.”
“That is precisely the problem,” the technical director shakes his head, “C++ is too ‘humanized’, unable to unleash the full potential of Z+++++. Those selected must completely abandon the old language to accept the new system.”
Zhang Zihao suddenly rushes forward: “Don’t agree to him! I was selected like this too!”
He tears open his collar, revealing a scar from a neural interface on his neck: “Look! This is the price! I can no longer use C++; my brain has been locked by Z+++++!”
“You’re talking nonsense!” the technical director scolds, “Z+++++ is evolution, not bondage!”
Liuyuyan feels a wave of dizziness; she remembers Zhang Zihao’s earlier words: “To gain this power, I lost too much…”
“I…” she hesitates, “I need time to think.”
“There’s no time,” the technical director says coldly, “The code on the moon has already manifested, and the system is activating. Tomorrow morning at 8 AM, you either voluntarily accept Z+++++, or the system will forcibly eliminate you.”
He turns and leaves, leaving a sentence echoing in the night sky: “Remember, choosing Z+++++ is choosing the future, sticking to C++ is choosing to be eliminated.”
Zhang Zihao grabs Liuyuyan’s wrist: “Listen, Liuyuyan, if you don’t want to become a ‘half-human half-machine’ like me, you must make a choice tonight.”
“What choice?” Ajiang asks alertly.
“Escape,” Zhang Zihao whispers, “Leave here before the system activates. Z+++++ is not a programming language; it is something that… devours souls.”
Liuyuyan looks at the full moon outside, the C++ code in the moonlight gradually being replaced by unfamiliar Z+++++ symbols. She feels a pang in her heart—C++ is her bridge to the immortal cultivation world, the first programming language her grandmother taught her.
“I cannot give up C++,” she says firmly, “That is my connection to the past.”
“Then there is only one last resort,” Zhang Zihao pulls out a USB drive from his pocket, “This is the ‘Code Guardian’ program my father secretly left behind, which can protect your programming ability before Z+++++ activates. But it can only last for 24 hours.”
Ajiang holds Liuyuyan’s hand tightly: “No matter what you choose, I will support you.”
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the three cast on the wall, forming a subtle triangle. In the distance, the compass in the hands of a mysterious person emits a rapid red light.
“Time is running out,” Zhang Zihao urges, “You must decide before midnight: embrace the future of Z+++++, or hold on to the original intention of C++.”
Liuyuyan looks down at the USB drive in her hand, softly saying: “Some codes are more important than life.”
At that moment, a piercing alarm suddenly echoes throughout the technology center!
“Warning! Unauthorized neural interface activity detected! The system will forcibly activate in 10 minutes!”
The technical director’s voice comes from the broadcast: “Liuyuyan, please report to the main control room immediately. Do not attempt to escape; the entire park has been locked by the Z+++++ system.”
“Hurry!” Zhang Zihao pushes them, “I know a secret passage!”
The five of them just ran down the stairs when they saw several security robots flashing red lights at the end of the corridor, their mechanical arms marked with the “Z+++++” logo.
“This way!” Ajiang pulls Liuyuyan into a small alley filled with Mid-Autumn decorations: red lanterns, Chang’e paper cuts, and unopened mooncake gift boxes.
“Listen,” Zhang Zihao gasps, “The main control room is on the third floor; we must destroy the neural interface transmitter before the system activates.”
“But how do we get in?” Xiaomeng asks fearfully.
Zhang Zihao smiles mysteriously: “Use the festival. Look at this—” he pulls out a specially made mooncake from his pocket, “This is the ‘data mooncake’ my father left behind; the shell is made of special material that can interfere with Z+++++ signals.”
“You mean…” Liuyuyan understands.
“Exactly,” Zhang Zihao nods, “Hide the USB drive in the mooncake, and we’ll blend into the Mid-Autumn party.”
Under the moonlight, Liuyuyan quickly stuffs the USB drive into the mooncake filling. Just then, the sound of robots’ footsteps comes from afar.
“No time left!” Ajiang says urgently.
They rush towards the main venue, where the Mid-Autumn party is being held. The crowd is filled with laughter, the guzheng playing melodiously, and the holographic projection displays the image of the Jade Rabbit making medicine in the air.
“Spread out!” Zhang Zihao commands, “Remember, the full moon is the time to act!”
Liuyuyan carries the mooncake tray towards the main control room, her heart pounding. With every step, she can hear the scanning sounds of the security robots. She forces herself to smile, like an ordinary party server.
“Student,” a security guard stops her, “Where is your ID badge?”
Liuyuyan’s palms sweat; suddenly she remembers: “Sorry, I was helping the technical director prepare special mooncakes.” She raises the tray, “This is the ‘data mooncake’ for the director, containing special nutrients.”
The security guard suspiciously inspects the mooncake, just as he picks one up—
“Watch out!” Liuyuyan pretends to exclaim, “This is a special mooncake; it cannot be touched directly!”
The security guard instinctively lets go, and the mooncake falls to the ground, the cracked shell flashing with blue data streams. The guard is stunned by this phenomenon, and Liuyuyan seizes the opportunity to rush past the checkpoint.
At the entrance of the main control room, the technical director stands in front of a huge holographic screen, which displays a countdown: 00:03:27…
“Ah, you’re here,” he turns around, his eyes emitting a strange blue light, “Just in time to witness the awakening of Z+++++.”
Liuyuyan raises the tray: “Director, this is a special Mid-Autumn mooncake.”
“Put it down,” the technical director orders, “You no longer need these worldly things.”
Just as he reaches out, Liuyuyan smashes the entire tray of mooncakes onto the control panel!
“Now!” she shouts.
Ajiang and Zhang Zihao rush out from both sides, and Zhang Zihao stuffs the special mooncake into the control panel’s interface. Blue data streams surge into the system, and the countdown stops at 00:00:01…
“No!” the technical director roars, “You’ve ruined everything!”
“No,” Liuyuyan calmly replies, “We’ve saved the original intention of programming.”
The moonlight shines through the window onto the control panel, illuminating a line of flashing C++ code:
// Guardian Protocol
while (true) {
if (original_intention.exists())
future.bright();
else
system.crash();
}
The laughter of the Mid-Autumn party continues, but for Liuyuyan, the real challenge has just begun…
Assignment Practice
🌕 Code Guardian Challenge 🌕
Dear friends, in the face of the temptation of Z+++++, how will you protect your programming original intention?
🎯 Challenge Content:
- Basic Question (★): Describe in a paragraph your story with your first programming language.
- Advanced Question (★★): If you had to give up your most familiar language, how would you retain its core ideas?
- High Difficulty Question (★★★): Design a “Code Guardian” program, how to protect old values in the wave of new technology.
💡 Creative Tips:
- True programming experts know how to hold on to their original intention amidst change.
- Sometimes, the oldest code hides the deepest wisdom.
🎁 Special Rewards:
- Top 3: Limited edition “Code Guardian” USB drive from Qingyun Technology.
- All participants: E-book on the philosophical reflections of C++ and Z+++++.
⏰ Deadline: Midnight on Mid-Autumn Night 24:00
Protect your original intention with code, and light up this Mid-Autumn night!
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